Written In the Stars
by sputterfly
Summary: After running into Maki on the roof of the cathedral, Hinawa has to face the fact that he's begun to develop feelings for the witch of Squad 8.
1. Chapter 1

Takehisa Hinawa stretched as he stood up from his bed. It was well after midnight, and he was in dire need of a glass of water. He put his slippers on and walked down the hallway to the kitchen in the Special Fire Force 8 Cathedral. As he passed a doorway leading to the rooftop, he noticed it was open.

_Who would be up this late at night?_ he wondered. He pushed the door open and began heading to the roof. _Whoever it is, I'm kicking their ass._

As he pushed the door open to the roof, Hinawa noticed a flicker of flame coming from one side of the roof. He headed toward the source and was surprised to see Maki Oze sitting all by herself, with her little fire minion Sputter flickering beside her.

"Maki? What are you doing up?"

"Lieutenant!" Maki jumped up.

"Don't worry," Hinawa said. "I'm only here to see who was up on the roof at this hour."

"I couldn't sleep," Maki admitted sheepishly. "So I came up here to look at the stars."

Hinawa sat down beside her. Sputter floated between him and Maki as they looked out at the sky together. He looked over at the little ball of flames and was surprised to see it was looking back at him.

"Why is your little fireball staring at me?" he asked Maki.

"Because by now you usually put it out," she told him.

_This is true_, he thought. He felt the little fireball get closer and closer to him. "Maki, if that little fireball gets any closer I'll put it out."

"Okay," Maki said. "Time to go, Sputter."

As she extinguished Sputter, Hinawa thought back to another night back when they were in the military, and he had an almost identical encounter with Maki on the roof of the barracks. He looked over at her and saw the stars reflected in her eyes.

Hinawa opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Maki.

"Lieutenant, do you remember that night back when we were in the military, and we were on the roof of the barracks?" she asked.

_Can she read minds?_ "Yeah, I remember," he admitted.

"I was wondering… what made you come onto the roof that night?"

Hinawa thought back to a few years earlier. His friend, Tojo, hadn't turned Infernal yet and was still reading by the window when he'd headed up to the roof for some fresh air. He ran into Maki stargazing then, like tonight, except he was her senior and her father was the lieutenant-general of the military. "I guess I was just curious as to who was on the roof, same as tonight."

Maki smiled at him. "You give off the air that you're a tough guy, but you have a soft side, you know?"

Hinawa looked at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean that you care about your squad members."

_Oh._ Hinawa looked out toward the horizon. _I have been getting a little softer around the edges, haven't I?_

As he sat with Maki on the rooftop, he realized that everything that happened tonight was playing out almost exactly like the disastrous scenario from a few years before.

"We have a bunch of paperwork to get done later," Maki said, breaking the awkward silence between them. "We should go get some sleep."

"Yeah, you're right," he said. Hinawa stood up and dusted off his pants. "Don't let me catch you playing with fire again."

"Yes, sir."

As Hinawa headed back inside, he realized his need for a drink of water was back. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass. He mulled over his and Maki's conversation as he poured his water and compared it to the one from a few years before.

_At least we didn't try to kiss_, he thought. He groaned at the memory of them trying—and failing—to kiss. _God, what were we thinking then?_

He drained his glass of water and couldn't stop thinking as he washed it. His mind began thinking of chores that needed to be done later that day. The squad was gone so much lately, everyone seemed to be lacking on the upkeep.

Hinawa placed the glass back into the cabinet and padded back to his room. As he climbed into bed, he began to think about how to approach Maki later on.

_It's not like we tried to kiss _tonight, he thought. _But if we did, would I have stopped it?_

He lay in bed for hours thinking, and when it was finally time to get up, he had concluded that yes, he would have stopped it because he was her superior. He rubbed his eyes as he stretched, relieving the tension in his muscles.

When he walked into the office, he noticed Maki hard at work already on the files at her desk. Shinra and Arthur were both sitting at their respective seats at the desk and were busy bickering. _Tamaki must be with Sister Iris,_ he thought.

"Hey, devil, have you done your work yet?" Arthur drawled.

"Shut up, you idiot. I'm working on it right now."

Shinra pulled a file down from the top of the stack and stretched. "Where is the Lieutenant, anyway?"

Hinawa walked up behind Arthur. "Are you two slacking off on your work?"

"No, sir!" they yelped, Maki included. As he went into Captain Obi's office, her eyes followed him. _He's still the lieutenant. I guess nothing changed between us last night._

"Arthur, Shinra! Let's go up to the roof and train," she suggested.

"Against you?" Shinra asked.

"I'd rather not, you always kick my ass with your strength," Arthur said.

"Who are you calling a gorilla cyclops?!" she yelled, slamming Arthur and Shinra into the ground.

"What is going on in here?" Hinawa said, sticking his head back into the room.

"I just suggested that they come up to the roof and train and Arthur called me a gorilla cyclops," Maki retorted.

"I did not."

"Maki, how about you and I show Arthur and Shinra how to fight properly?" Hinawa suggested.

"Alright. That sounds okay."

Shinra looked back and forth between Maki and Hinawa. "Are you sure that's okay?"

Hinawa adjusted his glasses. "I don't see why not. We are both former military, and she was my underling."

"Not to mention Maki has the strength of an ogre," Arthur said.

Hinawa held Maki back from attacking Arthur. "Who are you calling a gorilla cyclops?"

"Come on, Maki, let's go on up to the roof. You two, if you want to see how we fight, then feel free to come and watch." Hinawa walked off, with Maki following him.

"Lieutenant, are you sure you want to fight me?" Maki asked as she caught up to him.

"Is there someone else named Maki in our squad?" he replied.

"N-no but wouldn't you be better off fighting Shinra or Arthur?"

"If we spar, they can see how two former members of the military fight." Hinawa led her up to the roof, where they had had their midnight conversation just the night before. "Any further questions?"

"No, sir."

As he took his position across from her, he saw Shinra, Arthur, Tamaki, and Sister Iris come out onto the roof. He studied Maki's form. _She's been working out._

"Captain Obi said that as much as he'd like to watch, he needed to stay inside and work," Shinra called out to Hinawa.

"He also said he has money on Maki," Arthur added.

"I'm not going to go easy on you," Hinawa said quietly.

"Same here," Maki said. She knew that Hinawa had the height advantage, but she could work with that.

"Ladies first."

As Maki made her move, Hinawa changed his plan from "_lose on purpose_" to "_teach_." He skillfully dodged Maki's first attack and made one of his own.

"Remember to prepare for a counterattack if your opponent dodges," he told Maki, his fist connecting with her stomach. "I thought you knew all of this."

"I do," she groaned. "I just didn't expect you to counter."

"You should always fight and expect your opponent to counter, especially me." Hinawa straightened up. "We're done here."

Maki groaned. She knew what he was saying and everything. She couldn't believe she had let her mind wander while they were sparring.

"That's it?" Shinra asked. "I expected more."

"Well, I made a mistake in judgment," Maki said sheepishly.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about," Hinawa said. "You are perfectly capable of combat. It _was_ me you were up against, though."

Hinawa turned to look at Shinra, Arthur, Tamaki, and Sister Iris. "It's getting late. We should all head back inside."

"Yes, sir!"

As the door shut behind Shinra, Hinawa looked back at Maki. "Did you let me win, or did I win fair and square?"

"You won fairly."

Hinawa looked at Maki's face and could tell that she was lying. "Don't let what happened between us last night interfere with your work, Maki."

"Okay, Lieutenant." Maki headed toward the door but stopped. "Do you think you can meet me up here again tonight?"

"Again?" Hinawa thought it over. _Sure, but that's just asking for trouble._ "Okay. I guess I can."

"Great! See you then!" Maki opened the door and headed back inside.

Hinawa sat down and stared at the door. "What the hell was I thinking?" he said out loud.


	2. Chapter 2

Hinawa laid back on the blanket and closed his eyes. When Maki had asked him to meet on the roof of the cathedral earlier, he didn't hesitate in agreeing. He didn't realize how late they both had to sneak out so that no one would catch them meeting each other.

"Lieutenant?"

He leaned up and looked around; Maki was closing the door behind behind her and was walking carefully across the roof to where he was sitting. He moved over and made room for her on the blanket he was sitting on.

"So Maki, why did you ask me to meet you up here?" Hinawa asked.

"There is supposed to be a meteor shower. I thought you might like to see it."

"Really?" he asked her. "I mean, wouldn't Iris or Tamaki have been a better choice than me?"

"Maybe. But I still would have asked you anyway," she said.

He lay back on the blanket and stared up at the stars. _A meteor shower? I would never have guessed it was something like that._ Hinawa anxiously watched the sky for the first hint of a meteor.

"Look!" Maki exclaimed, pointing directly above them. "I think it's starting."

"Shush or the entire squad will hear you," Hinawa said.

Maki dropped her voice to just above a whisper. "Sorry." She began rubbing her arms vigorously. "It's starting to get cold, isn't it?"

Hinawa looked out at the night sky and happened to see a shooting star. "Yeah." He looked over at Maki, who was drawn in on herself to keep warm. "Here," he told her, holding out his arm; Maki leaned into him. She hid her face from him as she blushed. Hinawa grabbed another blanket and wrapped it around them.

"It looks like the meteor shower is picking up," Maki said.

Hinawa had to agree. He'd counted at least ten shooting stars in the past minute alone. He looked over at Maki and saw a hint of a smile on her face. He had to ask her now.

"Maki, do you like me?"

"What kind of question is that?" she answered.

"Do you have an answer?"

"Well…" Maki felt her face burn. "Yeah, I guess I do."

"Huh."

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant!" Maki yelped, covering her face.

Hinawa reached over and grabbed her shoulders. "You don't have to apologize. I asked a question that made you uncomfortable."

"No, I meant… I _do_ like you."

"Oh." He felt a wave of embarrassment rush over him.

"Maybe we should head back inside," Maki suggested.

"You're right, plus there's a lot of work to do tomorrow," Hinawa said. He stood up and reached out to help Maki stand up.

"Thanks," she told him.

As they walked across the roof together, Hinawa cleared his throat. "So what do you think about meeting up here again sometime soon?"

"I'd love that," Maki said, smiling.

Hinawa held the door open for her as they headed back inside. His thoughts raged as he tried to come up with something better to say.

"Do you want to train with me again later on?" he asked her.

"That'd be great!" Maki exclaimed.

_I'll go easy on her this time and let her win,_ Hinawa thought to himself.

"Goodnight, Lieutenant," Maki said, waving. "See you in the morning."

"Goodnight," he replied.

* * *

"How could you lose?" Hinawa asked as he helped Maki stand up. She had just lost to him for the third time.

"I don't know!" she said, frustrated.

"I was going easy on you!"

"I know _that_!" she told him.

Hinawa sighed. Their training session had gone on much longer than he expected it, and their paperwork was waiting for them on their desks. He had to type up a report on an Infernal they had dispatched during the night, and Maki had put aside training Arthur and Shinra to do more training with him today.

"One more time," Maki told him.

"No. We have paperwork to do."

Maki swept her leg underneath his, catching him off guard. _Dammit!_

"Finally, I win!" she said proudly.

"You caught me off guard," he told her.

"But I won."

"It was a dirty trick."

Their argument continued on their way back into the office. Shinra had sat down at his desk and was sorting through paperwork when the two of them came into the room, bickering.

"You had already said that you were going easy on me!" Maki said.

"Not so easy that you could catch me off guard and claim a win!" Hinawa retorted.

"Both of you get a room," Shinra said. "Your arguing is bringing the atmosphere down."

Maki crossed her arms in indignation. "I'll be back soon."

"Okay," Hinawa said.

As he began typing up his report, Hinawa let his mind wander. His fingers stalled over the name of the Infernal they had put out during the night, and he instead thought of his and Maki's petty argument over their last training fight. _Should I concede it to her anyway?_

"Lieutenant? You haven't typed anything for a while now," Shinra said.

"Sorry. I was just thinking," Hinawa said.

Maki came into the room then and sat down at the seat across from him. She didn't look at him as she began shuffling through reports. Hinawa felt frustrated and slammed his hands onto his desk.

"Don't just ignore me!" he yelled, jumping up.

"I'm not ignoring you," she told him.

"I just forgot that I hadn't trained today. So I'm gonna leave you two alone," Shinra said, leaving. He grabbed Arthur and dragged him off with him. "Come on, Arthur, let's go train."

Hinawa watched the two of them leave and sighed. "I'm sorry for yelling at you."

"It's okay," Maki said.

"And I _did_ have my guard down."

"Well, you _were_ going easy on me."

Hinawa sighed, sitting back down. "Well, now that we have that settled, how should we go about meeting up again on the roof tonight?"

"I guess just like we did last night," Maki told him. "But be sure to bring a few extra blankets, because it's going to get colder tonight."

"You got it," Hinawa said. He couldn't wait.


	3. Chapter 3

"You see that constellation there?" Hinawa asked, pointing above them. "That's Taurus. The brightest star in it is Aldebaran."

Maki nodded her head slowly. "And where is Ursa Major?"

Hinawa pointed to their northeast. "It's right over there."

Maki looked over at where he was pointing and saw a bunch of clouds covering the sky. "How do you know where it is?" she asked him.

"I just do."

"I can't see it."

Hinawa sighed. He instead pointed above where he had told her where Taurus was. "Right there is the Aries constellation. Its brightest stars are Hamal, Sheratan, and Mesarthim."

Maki pointed to a small cluster of bright stars. "What are those?"

"That's the Pleiades. It's also known as the Seven Sisters. They're some of the brightest star clusters in the sky, visible from every part of the world."

Hinawa knew Maki loved stargazing, but teaching her _about_ the stars was something he didn't expect. _There's Orion's Belt,_ he thought. _And that bright star there is Betelgeuse, the second-brightest in all of the Orion constellation, after Rigel._

He had read up on a majority of famous constellations visible to the naked eye in their location, but knowing which direction to look to be able to find them was one of the hard parts. The other part was helping Maki find the constellations.

"What star is _that_?" Maki asked.

Hinawa looked where she was pointing. It was one of the stars he had just identified to himself, Betelgeuse. He told her so and explained it to her.

"So the Betelgeuse star is the second-brightest in the Orion constellation, and the ninth-brightest in the sky?" Maki asked.

"Yeah, that pretty much covers it."

"So, what will happen if it supernovas?"

"I… can't answer that."

Maki sighed. "I guess we should head back in."

Hinawa stood up. "I agree. It's getting late."

"Maybe we can do something new tomorrow night," Maki said.

"I have to do maintenance on my guns," Hinawa said. He almost sounded sad when he declined her.

"Okay. Maybe later, then," she said. She waved goodbye as she walked back inside. Hinawa waited until she had left before sitting back down and looking for more constellations and stars. He felt that he did not need to know the names now that Maki was gone. He closed his eyes as he rested on the rooftop.

When Hinawa opened his eyes, he saw the sun coming up on the eastern horizon and realized he must've fallen asleep for longer than he had intended. He stood up and stretched. He heard the door open, and when he looked over, he saw Maki walking toward him.

"Care for a quick spar?" she asked.

"I just woke up."

"It'll give you an excuse for being up here so early," she told him.

Hinawa thought quickly. "You're right. Let's go."

As he went in like normal, he was surprised to find Maki blocking his move. He tried from the other direction instead; she blocked it as well. Frustrated, Hinawa tried to think of another way to take her down. He instead found himself flat on his back, staring up at the early morning sky.

"Did I surprise you?" Maki asked him as she leaned into his field of vision.

"Yeah, kind of. God, my back hurts, what did you do?" he asked her.

"I just did a thing and…" Maki tried to redo her movements but lost him halfway.

_And I wasn't even going easy on her this time,_ Hinawa thought. He stifled a yawn. "I'll see you downstairs, Maki."

"Yes, sir."

As Hinawa headed toward the showers, he heard a commotion coming from the office. He leaned around the edge of the wall and peeked inside and instantly regretted it.

Shinra was sitting at his desk with Arthur sitting across from him, and somehow Tamaki had ended up on top of Shinra. All three of them were yelling at each other.

"Boy, are they all hyper this morning," Obi said, coming up beside Hinawa.

"You call that 'hyper?'" Hinawa asked.

Obi shrugged. "At least they're doing their work. Speaking of which, you're late, Lieutenant."

"I was doing an early morning training session with Maki," Hinawa said. It wasn't a complete lie; he didn't think everyone should be all up in his business. "I'll be back in a few."

Hinawa turned and left the office, heading toward the showers. As he was walking, he thought over all of the firearms he had to do maintenance on. It was a small list, mostly consisting of rifles and handguns. He showered quickly and headed toward the garage; as he sat down, he had all intents and purposes of doing firearms maintenance on some of his weapons. But as he thought back to the commotion in the office, he sighed. _I can never catch a break._

Hinawa stood up and walked back to the office and sat down at his desk across from Maki.

"Lieutenant, I thought you were going to do maintenance on your weapons," she said.

"I was, but I decided to help everyone get through this mountain of paperwork instead." Hinawa leaned in close to her. "I hope that's not a problem."

"Nope, not at all."

Shinra and Arthur, who had stopped fighting long enough to watch the tense exchange between the Lieutenant and Maki, watched for something to happen again.

"Don't turn your back on me!" Tamaki said, going to punch Arthur and Shinra. Instead, she missed entirely and fell on top of Shinra again.

"It's always me!" he yelled.

"Tamaki, why don't you and I go make some tea?" Maki said, standing up from her seat.

"Okay," Tamaki said, following her out of the room.

"Hey Lieutenant, what's going on with you and Maki?" Shinra said as soon as they left.

_They're both dense as hell, but they picked up on _that_?_ Hinawa thought. "She's just my colleague, same as you two."

"That interaction didn't look like one between colleagues," Arthur said.

Hinawa leaned in close to both of them, the same as he did with Maki. "What about that interaction didn't look like one between colleagues?"

"Nothing, sir."

While Hinawa was berating Arthur and Shinra, Maki and Tamaki were joined in the kitchen by Iris while making tea.

"Maki, you handled the lieutenant so well!" Tamaki said. "You should teach us all how to do that!"

"It's nothing, really," Maki said.

"It almost seemed like you _like_ the lieutenant, Maki," Iris keenly observed.

"It's not like that!" Maki yelped. "I like him as a _comrade_, but nothing more!"

Hinawa, who was standing outside the kitchen door after sending Arthur and Shinra off to exercise, lowered his head. He headed to the garage and pulled one of his firearms off of the shelf.

_Maki "likes me as a comrade?" So all that talk on the rooftop was just bullshit?_ he thought as he began cleaning his weapon.

"Lieutenant?"

He turned to see Maki making her way over to him. He pushed his glasses up on his nose and went back to work.

Maki felt terrible. She knew that he had been listening in on their conversation. But she wasn't going to flat out tell Tamaki and Sister Iris how she felt. She pulled a chair up beside him and watched him work.

"I can't exactly tell Tamaki and Iris what's going on," she told him.

Hinawa sighed and laid his gun down. "I know, I'm in kind of the same predicament here."

"So, what are we going to do?"

"We've done a good job at hiding it so far; what's a bit longer going to hurt?" Hinawa asked her.


	4. Chapter 4

"You know, at some point, we will have to go to other places besides the roof," Maki said lazily.

"Yeah, but not tonight," Hinawa said. "Especially when the stars are so pretty."

Maki leaned up. Her long hair fell over her right shoulder. "You're not going to tell me about the constellations again, are you?"

Hinawa blushed. "No. Why?"

"Just wondering. Sometimes it's nice to be able to sit and look at the stars without knowing their names."

Hinawa huffed. He still hadn't told her the truth about why he had learned about the constellations yet. _I don't think I will, either_, he thought.

"Oh, Lieutenant, do you have plans tomorrow?" Maki asked him suddenly.

"No, why?"

"Well, it's our day off. I figured we could go into town or something."

"T-Together?" he asked.

"Of course."

Hinawa thought hard. _It'd be our first date that _wasn't_ on the roof of the cathedral. And it'd also be _in public_, as well._

"I guess we can," he replied. "But we run the risk of being found out."

"I don't mind," Maki said.

Hinawa sat up straight. "Wait, are you saying you want to tell everyone?"

"Well, it would make things easier," Maki said.

Hinawa sighed. He had been getting a little frustrated as well with having to hide his and Maki's relationship from everyone. Although, if he had to be perfectly honest with himself, everyone most likely knew what was going on between them just by reading their body language.

"I would have to agree," he said.

Maki laid back down on the blanket beside him. "I don't want to go back in; it feels so nice outside."

"The Meteorological Agency is saying it's supposed to rain tomorrow tonight," Hinawa said.

"All the more reason I'd like to go out tomorrow."

Hinawa closed his eyes and smiled. "I agree with that, as well."

Maki folded her arms under her head and looked at him. "Do you have the time?"

"It was after midnight when we came up here," Hinawa reminded her.

"We should head back in."

Hinawa stood up and dusted his pants off. "Need any help?"

"I should be fine, but thanks for offering," Maki said, standing.

"You sound very tired," he told her.

"I am _exhausted_."

"Go get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."

Maki waved as she disappeared inside the cathedral. Hinawa looked up at the stars and found the Pleiades.

"The only reason I learned the names of the constellations was to impress her," he said under his breath.

* * *

"So, Lieutenant. Do you have any plans for today?" Obi asked.

Hinawa was busy writing up a report on an Infernal they had put to rest shortly after he and Maki returned inside.

"It all depends on when I get this report finished," he replied.

Obi watched as Hinawa snuck a glance over at Maki. "Why don't you put your work aside for now?"

"I'm almost finished."

Obi frowned. He watched as Maki brought a cup of tea over to Hinawa and set it down. _I know everyone has been speculating that something is going on between the two of them, but I find it hard to believe,_ Obi thought.

Hinawa stood up and stretched and looked over at Maki. She was rifling through a stack of papers at her desk. He smiled as he returned to work.

"Lieutenant, can I speak with you for a moment?" Obi asked.

"Of course, sir."

Hinawa followed him into his office, and he waited until he shut the door behind him. "What's on your mind, Captain?"

"What is going on between you and Maki?" Obi asked.

Hinawa paused. He and Maki had decided earlier to do this together, not separately. But he had gotten cornered first out of the two of them. _What do I say?_

"To be honest, sir, I'm not sure yet," he replied.

"But something _is_ going on between you two, right?" Obi asked.

Hinawa paused, which confirmed Obi's suspicions. He sighed.

"I know what you guys do on your own time is none of my business, but be sure that you know what you're getting into here. If you two were to separate, the whole of Company 8 would be divided between the two of you."

"I don't think we'll be splitting up," Hinawa said.

"That's nice to hear," Obi said.

"Anyways, if you don't mind, Captain, I'm going to finish writing up that report."

"Sure."

Hinawa had barely left Obi's office before Maki accosted him. She looked around them before speaking.

"So what happened?" she asked him.

"Obi wanted to ask me about us." He walked over to his desk and sat back down; Maki pulled a chair up beside him and sat down.

"And?"

"He pretty much knew all along. The rest of the squad probably knows as well." His fingers paused over the keys. "He also said that we should be careful because if we were to separate, the whole squad would be divided."

"Yeah, that's true. But I don't think we'll be splitting, right?" Maki said.

"That's what I told him."

Maki smiled. "Great minds think alike!"

_And so do minds that are in love_, Hinawa thought.


	5. Chapter 5

"So, are you having a good time?" Maki asked.

"It doesn't matter how many times you ask me that, I will probably still be quiet each time," Hinawa answered.

"You have to start having fun at some point."

"Yeah, you're right."

Maki grabbed his hand and led him over to a nearby ice cream stand. "Two cones, please!"

As the vendor handed Maki her ice cream cones, Hinawa pulled out his wallet, sorely wishing that he had made better plans.

"Is this enough?" he asked the vendor.

Maki folded over two of the bills in his hand. "_That_ will be all you need."

"Oh."

As the vendor gave him back his change, Hinawa walked off with Maki, and he took a bite out of his ice cream. "It's good."

"Of course it is," Maki said.

As they walked by a clothing store, Hinawa paused. "This is the place that I get all my hats from."

"Really? That's very nice to know," Maki said.

"They give me discounts on everything as well."

"I guess it's because you're such a loyal customer," Maki told him.

Hinawa didn't say anything. He instead took another bite out of his ice cream. In the distance, a low roll of thunder echoed throughout the city.

"A storm?" Maki asked.

Hinawa threw the rest of his cone away and grabbed Maki's hand. "We should find a place where we can sit out the storm."

"Y-yeah, you're right," Maki said.

Hinawa led her to a small pavilion, under which was half a dozen benches. He sat down and cleared his throat.

"Listen," he began to say.

Maki couldn't hear anything else out of his mouth because just then, it began pouring down rain. She sighed as she sat down beside him. _You can't get a first date much worse than ours._

Hinawa moved closer to her so she could hear him. "Listen, I have something to tell you," he repeated.

"What is it?"

"I only learned the names of the constellations so I could impress you. I never really cared much for that kind of stuff before."

Maki blushed. "Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's the first thing I've ever gone out of my way to do for a girl before. I never even cared about relationships before now."

Hinawa paused as he realized what he just said. He let it sink in for a moment that he was in a relationship with someone he was close to.

_What the hell do I do now?_ he thought.

Maki turned to face him. "I want to try something."

She leaned in close and kissed him softly on the lips. Hinawa could feel his heart pounding against his ribs; he leaned into the kiss and pulled Maki toward him. He couldn't hear the rain anymore; he could only hear the sound of his pulse reverberating in his ears.

"L-Lieutenant, I think we should go," Maki said, pulling away suddenly. "Before it starts raining again."

Hinawa cleared his throat and went to stand up. "Yeah, you're right."

As they made their way back toward Company 8's cathedral, Hinawa reached out and grabbed Maki's hand. When she looked over at him, he looked away in slight embarrassment.

"You don't have to call me 'Lieutenant' anymore," he said. "You can call me 'Takehisa' if you want."

"That's going to take a bit of getting used to," Maki said, smiling. "But I'll be glad to."

"Good," he said.

* * *

"Was the Lieutenant nice?" Tamaki pressured.

"Yes," Maki said. "He was very kind."

"That's good," Iris said. "The Lieutenant is very intimidating."

The girls were taking their baths, and Maki and the Lieutenant's date was the center of their gossip. Since Obi's discussion with Hinawa earlier, the news that the two of them were together had spread through the small company like wildfire.

"When it started to rain, he wanted to make sure we found shelter immediately," Maki said.

"Aww!" Tamaki and Iris said in unison.

"Anything else?" Tamaki asked, poking her head over the shower stall.

Maki blushed. "It's getting awfully hot in here," she said as she fanned her face, trying to change the subject.

"Aww, come on, Maki, tell us more!" Tamaki said.

Maki turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. "I don't want to."

"Please, Maki?" Iris begged.

Maki sighed; they would find out eventually. _I wanted to keep our first kiss just between us for a while before telling anyone._

"Well, we kissed," she told them.

"Oh my god!" Tamaki squealed. "You have to tell us everything!"

Maki pretended to think it over. "No."

"Was it good?" Iris questioned.

"It was everything I thought it would be," Maki said, cracking under pressure. "The Lieutenant was so gentle. It was really unlike him."

Tamaki stepped out of the shower and grabbed her towel.

"Who initiated it?" Tamaki asked.

"I did," Maki said. "He told me he had learned the names of the constellations just to impress me."

"Aw! Then the lieutenant cares about you, Maki!" Iris said.

Maki blushed. She had to admit that she cared about him, too. He even asked her to call him by his first name instead of calling him "Lieutenant."

"You're right, he does care about me, Iris," Maki said, getting dressed. "I wonder what I can do to make up for today being such a disaster, though."

"It doesn't sound like it was much of a disaster from the way you described it, Maki," Tamaki said, already dressed. "It sounded like the perfect first date."

"Really?"

"Yes!"

Maki smiled. "I wonder what we can do on our next date, then."

"Maybe do something he likes," Iris suggested, adjusting her habit.

"Like?"

Iris and Tamaki were quiet for a minute. They both knew that the Lieutenant hardly ever discussed what he liked to do outside of work.

"Maybe the Lieutenant can come up with a better suggestion than we can," Tamaki said. "I mean, you did manage to get him to come out of his shell a little bit."

Maki groaned inwardly. She had to agree with them; since she had suggested their first date, shouldn't he pick where they go for their second date?

"All right, fine," Maki huffed. "But if it backfires, I'm blaming you two."


	6. Chapter 6

"Wait, you mean _I_ have to choose what we'll be doing on our next date?" Hinawa said.

"It only seems fair."

The pair were on the roof of the cathedral again, and the Orionid meteor shower had piqued Maki's interest when Hinawa mentioned it to her earlier that evening. Hinawa turned to Maki, who was lying beside him.

"Wasn't our first date technically our _fourth_ date?" he asked.

"I don't think that's how it works," she replied.

Hinawa sighed in disgust. "This is our second date, then."

"No, it's not."

"Name a better date than this," he challenged her.

"Maybe something you enjoy?" Maki hinted.

Hinawa thought for a minute. His only hobbies were hiking and camping, and he didn't believe Maki would enjoy either one of them. He leaned up and looked at her. It couldn't hurt to _ask_, though.

"What do you think about camping?" he asked her.

"Camping?" Maki stared up at the night sky. "I don't know."

Hinawa sighed. "You were the one that suggested we do something that I enjoy."

"Yeah. You're right. When is our next day off?" Maki asked him.

Hinawa thought for a minute. "Tuesday."

Maki laced her fingers through his. "Maybe we can go camping then?"

Hinawa rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. "I'd like that."

"But until then, tell me more about this meteor shower."

Hinawa grinned. "Well, the Orionids is the most prolific meteor shower associated with Halley's Comet. And they have their name because they pass through the constellation of Orion."

Maki looked up at the sky. "And when do they reach their peak?"

"Tuesday."

"Interesting."

Hinawa thought it over. _The last time we weren't able to see many meteors because of the city lights,_ he thought. _But maybe camping will be better for viewing them._

"Sir, is everything okay?" Maki asked him. "You've been staring off into space for a few minutes now."

"Yeah, everything is okay. And I told you already that you can call me Takehisa," Hinawa replied.

"I know, it's just weird for me to call you anything other than 'sir' or 'lieutenant,'" Maki said.

Hinawa gave a small smile. "Yeah, guess it is a bit weird."

Maki looked up toward the stars; she had lost all interest in the meteor shower when he agreed to go camping. The faint meteors she saw were going in all directions.

"So will we see the meteor shower better when we go camping?" Maki asked him.

"Yeah. It should be clear enough. We still have a few days to go, though, so there's no telling what the weather might be like then."

"Yeah, you're right," Maki said. She sighed as she stood up. "I'm heading back in, Lieutenant. Are you coming with me?"

"In a bit. I want to look at the stars some more," he said.

Maki waved at him as she headed back inside. Hinawa leaned back on the blanket and watched as the meteor shower kicked in overhead. _The stars are beautiful tonight,_ he thought, closing his eyes. _They'll be even more beautiful on Tuesday._

* * *

"Lieutenant, how much farther is it?" Maki asked.

"Not much farther, don't worry." Hinawa grabbed her hand and helped her walk up the grassy hillside. "Be careful."

"I will," she told him.

As Hinawa led her up the small grassy knoll, Maki looked out and gasped lightly at the view. The sky was in full view, and shooting stars were sprouting everywhere in the sky.

"Here, take a seat," he told her, offering her the spot next to him. She sank to her knees next to him and smiled.

"This is amazing!" Maki said.

"It's nothing, really," Hinawa said.

"No!" Maki turned to him. "This is an amazing location. And the view is beautiful. How often do you camp here?"

"Not that often. I couldn't go to my regular spot, so I came here instead," Hinawa told her.

"Wait, you have a _regular_ spot?" Maki asked.

"Yeah. I go there when I need time to think," Hinawa said. "It's up higher in the mountains and requires a great deal of hiking to reach."

_Like this one didn't?_ Maki thought to herself.

Hinawa lay back on the blanket and stared up overhead. His eyes caught sight of a meteor as it arced through the sky; he felt Maki beside him and sighed deeply.

Hinawa looked over and saw that Maki had fallen asleep. He relaxed and laced his fingers through hers. He watched as a few more meteors shot through the sky, trailing through the constellation of Orion.

_I would have preferred to see one of the meteor showers with more frequency, but as the temperature dropped, it would have been impossible for camping_, Hinawa thought.

He felt Maki's hand leave his for a brief moment. He watched as she pointed up to one of the brighter meteors in the sky.

"I made a wish on that star," she said, blushing.

Hinawa leaned up and looked at her, puzzled. "About what?"

"That I would marry you."

Hinawa felt his face burn. "R-Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, I know that some people would object to it, like my father and Captain Obi, but it almost seems like we're meant to be together, you know?"

_Dammit,_ Hinawa thought. _Her dad and brother hate my guts; she's setting me up for failure._

"Maki, your family _hates_ me," Hinawa said.

"Don't worry. As long as I'm there, they won't take any jabs at you," she said.

"You say that now," Hinawa pointed out.

"No, I mean it," Maki said. "My dad only wants what's best for me, and I think what's best for me is you."

Hinawa looked over at her. _He_ was supposed to be the one to do all of this stuff. He had wanted to sit down and try to have a civil conversation with her father before their relationship moved on any further.

_Just the thought of a conversation with her father makes me ill,_ Hinawa thought. But he knew that finding a way to talk to him without getting killed was a task in and of itself.

* * *

Hinawa paced around the large office; he had scheduled this meeting the day before, without anyone knowing. He was surprised that General Danrou Oze had agreed to meet with him on such short notice.

_I need to stop pacing, but if I quit moving, I'll get nauseous,_ Hinawa thought to himself. He tried a few simple breathing techniques to help calm himself down.

"Lieutenant Takehisa Hinawa," General Oze's voice boomed.

Hinawa saluted. "General Oze, sir. I'm glad to see that you are doing good."

"So what brings you, the man who recruited my daughter, into that reckless Company 8, here today?"

_Oh yeah. I remember Maki mentioning that that's the grudge her father and brother have against me,_ Hinawa said. He took a deep breath; he couldn't decide on whether to tell him the truth or not.

"I wanted to get a formal invitation to your home," Hinawa said. "I thought the invitation would be better coming from you than from Maki."

General Oze stood up and walked over to a nearby window. "So, you want a _formal_ invitation to come to _my_ house?"

"Y-Yes, sir."

"Is there a specific reason as to _why_ I should invite you to my house?" General Oze asked him.

Hinawa gulped. "Maki and I are in a serious relationship. I don't want to take anything further before meeting you and her mother."

"You plan to take things further with my daughter?" the general boomed.

"Yes. I love Maki very much, and I plan to marry her one day," Hinawa said, keeping his composure. He realized that he was no longer afraid of General Oze; instead, the tables had been turned, and the over-bearing general was now fearful of Hinawa and his declaration of marriage to Maki.

General Oze sighed. "My Maki was always free-spirited. She had been a hopeless romantic since she was a child. But I can tell that she has changed for the better."

Hinawa listened as he rambled on. _Is there any way he's going to shut up long enough for me to leave?_

"Lieutenant," General Oze said. "If you come by my home, please be sure to bring my Maki with you."

Hinawa saluted. "Yes, sir! But does that mean I have permission?"

"Yes, Lieutenant, it does."

As he left General Oze's office, Hinawa grinned. For once, everything was going his way.

* * *

**hi everyone! ok, so a _lot_ has gone on since the last chapter was posted. (I got sick, for one thing, wahhh. and nanowrimo was another!) but I have a general idea already written up for the next chapter (I wrote it in like August lol), which is why I went ahead and wrote this. **

**hope everyone enjoys! xo**


	7. Chapter 7

"Now remember, just stay calm around my dad and my brother," Maki said.

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one who is about to be fed to the lions," Hinawa grumbled.

"The only person you can blame for that is yourself!" Maki retorted. She was none too pleased with the lieutenant's sudden marriage proposal; it took him a few tries to get her to say yes. "They haven't taken the news well, true, but they'll have to get over it. We're getting married, and I want them to get to know you better."

Hinawa sighed and adjusted his tie. "Okay."

Maki opened the door and was greeted by a maid. "Young miss, it's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too!" Maki smiled.

Hinawa liked that smile; it lit up a whole room. It's what made him fall for her in the first place. He felt a sharp jab in his side as Maki elbowed him; he had been staring off into space.

"Good evening, ma'am. My name is—"

"Lieutenant Takehisa Hinawa. I had hoped what my sister was saying wasn't true. Are you two engaged?" Takigi Oze's voice said from the stairs.

"Yes, we are!" Maki said. She was trembling with anger.

_They still think I tricked her into joining Company 8_, Hinawa thought. He tugged at his collar again; he was uncomfortable in situations like this. He knew if he tried to smile, it'd come out looking like Shinra's. He gave himself a mental slap. _Stop thinking!_

"Come on, Takehisa," Maki said, groaning inwardly. She had never called the lieutenant by his first name before tonight. She grabbed his hand and led him into the dining room. "My mother is waiting in here."

_Just her mother? I can handle her. General Oze is one scary bastard._ Hinawa stood dead still as Maki walked over to her mother.

"So you're Takehisa Hinawa?" Madoka Oze said. "Maki told us a lot about you."

"I hope it's all good things," Hinawa said.

"Oh, but of course!"

"Mom, do you need any help in the kitchen?" Maki asked, flustered. "I'm more than willing to help you."

_So she wants to feed me to the wolves, after all_, Hinawa thought.

"Actually, all I have to do is plate everything, and it'll be ready." Her mother gave her a cold smile. "I think we should wait for your father before we do that."

"Yes, you're right. Sorry."

"I'm home!" General Danrou Oze's voice boomed from the front door.

Hinawa gulped. His only ally right now was Maki. And, possibly, her mother, but she was a complete toss-up. He stood rooted to the floor as Maki followed her mother to greet her father.

"Lieutenant Hinawa," General Oze said. "The man who recruited Maki into the reckless Company 8."

"General Oze, we've met. I spoke to you about—"

"Yes. You said something about wanting to marry my daughter, I recall?"

"Can we please not do this now?" Maki asked nervously.

"Of course, Maki, dear," her father said.

Hinawa sighed nervously. He felt intimidated by being near Maki's father, especially with him in such a bad mood. As he glanced at both the general and Maki's brother, he gathered the impression that he wasn't as welcome as he thought he was.

As everyone stood around the table and waited on the food, Hinawa gripped the back of his chair until his knuckles turned white.

_How did I end up seated by General Oze?_ he wondered. _Maki should be seated there. But that would leave me seated next to her mother. And I'm _still_ confused about whether or not she likes me._

"Ow!" he said quietly. Maki had elbowed him just under his ribs; he felt the spot ache and longed to rub it. But it had worked, as he had stopped thinking about her family and was now thinking about the pain in his side.

"Dinner is served!" Madoka announced, setting platters of food onto the table.

"It all looks so good, Mom!" Maki said. She lifted her fork and began to eat.

Madoka turned to Hinawa and tried to make small talk. He applauded her for her efforts, as she seemed to be the nicest one to him so far. "So, you're the lieutenant of your squad? That's a big accomplishment!"

_How do I respond?_ "Thank you. Honestly, it's not that big of a deal," he told her.

"You take on both yours and Captain Obi's duties, so yes, it is a big deal," Maki pointed out.

Hinawa sighed. "That still isn't a big deal."

Maki dabbed at her mouth with her napkin and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "I need to talk to you _now_."

Hinawa watched as Maki walking into the large kitchen. He followed her and watched as she paced the kitchen floor.

"You _have_ to find some way to liven up the conversation," she said. "You're boring my family to death."

"I'm not boring, am I?" he asked her.

"_That's_ your takeaway from this?" she asked him. "My mother is _barely _showing any interest in you, and we both knew my father and brother were never going to be easy to win over."

Hinawa felt himself get a little defensive. "It's not my fault—"

"This _whole thing_ tonight is your fault!" she hissed at him. "You _wanted_ to meet my family."

"Can we not do this now?" Hinawa asked her. "Especially not _here_."

Maki sighed. She always felt herself get a little on edge when she was around her father and brother.

"You're right. I'm sorry."

She nudged her way into Hinawa's arms. He rested his chin on top of her head for a few minutes before giving her a small kiss.

"Sorry I made all this mess happen," he told her.

"It's not a mess if some good comes out of it," Maki said.

"I'll try to be more interesting, okay? Then I can at least say I made it through a dinner with my future in-laws," Hinawa laughed nervously.

"You don't have to be more interesting," Maki said. "You could kiss up to them all you wanted, and they still wouldn't like you."

_That's just how your father is,_ Hinawa thought.

"Come on. We have to go finish our meal, and then we can leave," she told him, patting him on the chest.

Hinawa nodded and followed her back into the dining room, where the hushed conversation that had started while they were away immediately stopped. He knew everyone was only pushing through this meal for Maki's sake, but he wanted it to be _over_ already.

"Maki, Dad and I couldn't help but notice that you've been overdoing your workouts again," Takigi said.

Maki's face turned bright red; her body was a sensitive topic for her, a topic that Hinawa knew was fight or flight when she was flustered and angry. She had always done the former when she got upset back at headquarters, but he didn't know how she handled her family.

"I-I haven't been sticking to a regular workout schedule as much lately," Maki said quietly.

"You lie. Your arms are bigger than mine." Takigi made a point to bring up his muscled arm.

"Leave her alone, Takigi," Madoka said, trying to make peace between her son and daughter.

"Mom, she's practically not even human anymore," Takigi said. "All that muscle on her, she's more like a monster."

Hinawa looked over at Maki, who had started crying quietly into her plate of food. He squeezed her leg gently before standing up.

"Listen here," he hissed at Takigi. "I don't give a shit what you say about me. Frankly, I don't even care if I'm in the room when you say it. But if you say one more goddamned word about Maki in front of me, you'll be regretting it."

Hinawa grabbed Maki's hand and led her to the front door. He felt somewhat proud of himself; he defended Maki, who was now standing at the door crying into her hands. He grabbed his coat and put it over her shoulders.

"I-I'm sorry!" she cried. "I d-didn't think they'd try to d-do this _tonight_!"

"It's okay," he whispered. He put her jacket and purse over his arm and led her out the door. "Don't worry about it."

He fumbled with the key for the passenger side door; the early evening air had taken on a slight chill, and he was shivering in his dress shirt. He finally unlocked the door.

"Here, Maki, go ahead and get in," he told her.

Maki slid into the passenger seat and pulled the seatbelt down over her chest. She looked over as Hinawa climbed in awkwardly with her jacket draped over his arm.

"Let me take that from you," she offered.

"It's fine," he told her. He reached around and laid it in the backseat. He yanked off his tie and threw it in the backseat as well. "We both know that I never was one for formalities. Guess it's a good thing I'm in the Fire Force."

"My family hates you, Lieutenant," Maki said exasperatedly.

"Lucky for them, they'll only have to see me at weddings and births," Hinawa told her.

Maki blushed. "Thank you, Lieutenant," she whispered.

Hinawa raised his eyebrows. "For what?"

"For sticking up for me. It's never happened before."

"What are fiancés for?"

* * *

**a/n: sorry for having such a late update. I've been really busy with family stuff, and i lost my uncle last week. **

**i really, _really_ want a way to talk with y'all, so pls, if you ever wanna discuss my fics, i have a tumblr that i'm wanting to use to talk with people who read my works. **

**my tumblr name is "colormetherainbow" if y'all wanna pm me on there since PMs here are broken.**


	8. Chapter 8

Maki curled up in bed and slid her hand under her pillow. Lieutenant Hinawa was in the office doing some last-minute paperwork and had turned down her offer of meeting on the roof.

_He was incredibly sweet tonight_, she thought. _He handled my family better than I did._

She reached into a drawer on her bedside table and pulled out a small box. She opened it, looking at the small ring inside.

"Are you putting it on, finally?"

Maki turned to look at Hinawa standing in her doorway. He came over and sat down beside her on her bed. She looked at the ring; it was beautifully made, but very thin and had no stone. The Lieutenant gave it to her when he told her about his talk with her father.

"If you're putting it on, then you're ready, right?" Hinawa asked.

"Yeah."

Maki slipped the small ring onto her finger. Its simplistic design complemented her hand, and she couldn't help but smile when she looked at it. Hinawa pulled her up from her bed and held her close.

"I know it's kind of stupid, but would you like to dance?" he asked her.

Maki giggled. "Of course."

Hinawa led her around the room, holding her hand close to his chest. He absentmindedly ran his thumb over her ring as he kissed her softly.

"Listen, you did an amazing job with my family tonight," Maki told him.

"Thank you."

"And again, thanks for standing up for me. I always have to deal with that from them."

"You should never have to deal with that stuff from your own family."

_He's right._ Maki sighed as she wrapped her arms around him.

"And you called me 'Takehisa,' which I thought you weren't ever going to do," Hinawa whispered.

"It made me feel incredibly awkward doing so," she told him.

"I liked it," he said.

"I'm never doing it again."

Hinawa grinned. "You don't have to."

Maki smiled. "Good."

He pushed her toward her bed. "You need some rest. You had a rough night, and we have a full day of work ahead of us tomorrow."

"Oh yeah. Work. Yay," Maki said feebly.

"Come on, everyone knows about us, so there's no need to hide our relationship now," Hinawa said.

"I know, but it still feels weird."

"Weird how?"

"I don't know… _forbidden_, almost."

"That's just your fairy tales clouding your head."

"But life isn't a fairy tale. And neither are we," Maki pointed out.

Hinawa didn't say anything, because, in a way, she was wrong. He was incredibly lucky to have Maki. It was like she was a princess, and he was a peasant.

Hinawa gently kissed the top of her head and pushed her toward her bed. "Sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay. Goodnight," she told him, giving him a little wave.

"Goodnight."

* * *

Hinawa stood and stretched. He could vaguely remember Maki coming into his room shortly after he left her alone in her room, and they talked for hours about just random stuff until they fell asleep.

Didn't they?

He saw Maki curled up in his bed asleep, facing him. His ring glinted in the morning sunlight on Maki's ring finger. So everything that had happened last night wasn't a dream? He tried to grab the neck of his shirt and noticed it was gone.

"Maki!" he hissed, pushing her. She leaned up and yawned; before she could go back to sleep, Hinawa grabbed her hand. "_Maki!"_

"What?" she asked.

"Did we _do_ anything last night?"

"Besides talk? I don't think so."

"Then where's my shirt? And your, uh…"

Hinawa turned his head and blushed. Maki tried to pull her tank top down to cover her panties. A quick feel reassured her that her bra was still there.

"I don't think we did anything," Maki said.

Hinawa calmed down slightly. He turned his back to Maki and began looking for Maki's coveralls. "Don't leave until I find your pants," he told her.

"Yeah, the fact I'm in here half-naked is something we don't want everyone to find out," Maki said nervously.

Hinawa finally found her pants and handed them to her over his shoulder. He heard scuffling noises as Maki put them back on.

"Have you found your shirt yet?" she asked him.

"I can just grab one from my closet," he told her.

"Oh. Right. Duh."

Maki walked toward the bedroom door. Her nerves were buzzing; it was as if everyone already knew that she and Hinawa spent the night together. She turned back to look at him and was surprised when he kissed her softly on the lips.

"I'll see you in the office," he whispered, his breath tickling her ear.

Maki felt her breath catch in her chest. There was something sensual about his kiss; she felt a pool of emotions bubble up inside her.

"I'll see you in the office," she murmured.

Maki walked out of his room and leaned against the wall, trying to catch her breath. She ran her fingers across her lips; it wasn't like her to be swayed so easily by a simple kiss. But it wasn't _just_ a simple kiss.

It was her and Hinawa's first kiss since she had put his ring on the night before. She looked at her hand and saw the thin band still on her finger. She ran her thumb over the ring, and the cool metal proved to her that everything that had happened was indeed real.

"Maki!" Tamaki called out.

Maki turned to look at Tamaki, who was running up to her. She reached over and quickly knocked on Hinawa's door as a warning, although he should be able to hear Tamaki's voice by now.

"You weren't in your room last night," Tamaki said quietly. "Did you and Lieutenant Hinawa, _you know_…"

"No! We didn't," Maki said, a little too quickly. The corner of Tamaki's mouth perked up.

"Whatever."

Maki watched as Tamaki turned and headed back the way she came. She clenched the bottom of her shirt in her fists as she headed to get a fresh change of clothes.

_Everyone already knows about us_, she repeated in her mind. _They would have expected us to do _that _by now, right?_

Maki opened the door to her bedroom and wasn't surprised to see Sister Iris waiting on her. She sighed.

"I'm late for work, can I get my lecture later?" she asked, not meaning to be rude.

"As long as you're happy," was all Iris said before she left.

Maki paused for a moment. She _was_ happy. But as she reached for her lips, the pit of emotions that had been building up inside bubbled over.

She wanted the Lieutenant. And she was almost positive that he wanted her too.

* * *

**a/n: I know, an update! since my last update I've been very sick, but I wanted to get back into writing this fic so I whittled away on a new chapter and here it is.**


	9. Chapter 9

**a/n:** yay! an update! xD

also: today is the 1 yr anniversary of this fic! :O I felt an update was in order!

* * *

"Maki," Hinawa said, coming around to her side of the desk. "Look."

He leaned over and showed her the front page of the newspaper. It was an article about a comet that would be visible to the naked eye later that night. Maki tried to hide her interest and failed.

"Do you think we can see it from the roof?" she asked him.

"We should be able to," he told her.

"If only we had a telescope."

He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I already rented one."

Maki giggled. "Thank you!"

Hinawa cleared his throat. "You know that we have to watch this with everyone else, right? We can't hog an astronomical event like this to ourselves."

"I know."

Hinawa kissed the top of her head before turning to walk into Obi's office. His excitement couldn't be contained; a _comet_. It wasn't every day you got to see one.

"Captain," he said, pushing the door open. "I have something that might be of some interest to you."

"What is it, Lieutenant?" Obi asked, barely pausing his workout.

"There is a comet that will be visible tonight. I think it would be interesting for everyone to be able to enjoy it," Hinawa pointed out.

"Hmm."

"It only comes around once every 200 years," Hinawa said.

Obi put his weights down and sighed. "It would be interesting to have everyone participate in something and relax for a night."

Hinawa grinned inwardly. This was a win for him and Maki; he had already decided what the two of them were going to do tonight while watching the comet.

"I'll let everyone else know," he told Obi.

* * *

"Ugh, get _away_ from me, Kusakabe!" Tamaki yelped.

"I'm not even anywhere _near_ you," Shinra sighed.

Hinawa gripped the handle of the telescope bag even tighter. The constant bickering of the rookies was ruining the night for him and Maki.

"Lieutenant, come on," Maki whispered to him. "You're just standing there."

Hinawa snapped out of his frustration and joined her on the roof. Everyone was spread out, enjoying small conversations with each other.

"Do you think they'll notice if we break away from them?" he asked her.

Maki looked over at the rest of Company 8. "Probably not."

"Grab the binoculars and come with me," he whispered.

He led her up to a higher level on the roof and spread their blanket out, giving them a more secluded spot to view the comet.

"Hand me the binoculars," he told her.

Maki handed them over to him. She felt him rest his hand on the inside of her leg and felt chills run up her spine.

"Okay." Hinawa handed her the binoculars and pointed at a barely visible dot. "That's the comet right there."

Maki moved the binoculars over to where he had pointed. As he watched her try to find it, he moved his hand higher on her leg. Maki gave him back the binoculars.

"We aren't up this high to find the comet, are we?" she whispered.

"No, we aren't," he said.

He leaned into her and gave her a series of gentle kisses. Maki pulled him down on top of her, his arms on either side of her.

"I don't really care about seeing the comet tonight," Maki whispered.

"Really?"

"Really."

Hinawa kissed her again, more firmly this time. He gently ran his tongue along her lips, and grinned when she parted them, allowing him to slip inside. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, pressing her against him.

"Are you serious about this?" she asked him.

"I think that's what I should be asking you right now," he told her.

Maki nodded. She wrapped her arms around Hinawa's neck and held him close as he began to trail soft kisses down her neck and across her chest. As he pulled her tank top loose from her coveralls, she sighed, feeling comfortable in his arms.

"I think we should go back inside," Hinawa whispered.

"Why?"

"Because I don't think it'd be right to do this on the roof."

Maki kissed him firmly. "I think it's perfect."

* * *

Hinawa woke up the next morning, the sunlight beaming in through his window. He felt someone beside him and squeezed lightly; a small moan told him it was Maki.

"Good morning," he whispered into her neck, his breath tickling her.

"Five more minutes," she begged sleepily.

"We have to be at work in twenty minutes," he told her.

Hinawa watched as Maki leaned up and swung her feet over the side of his bed. Her smooth back was highlighted by the sun, her arm holding his sheet up to cover herself as she gathered her scattered clothes from his bedroom floor with her feet.

"Maki," he hummed, placing a soft kiss in between her shoulders.

Maki moaned quietly. "Lieutenant."

He ran his hand down her arm and laced his fingers with hers. Maki clutched her clothes tightly as she gave him a gentle kiss.

"I have to take a shower, and I have less than fifteen minutes to do so," Maki whispered.

"I wish we didn't have to work," Hinawa said.

"I know, me too."

Hinawa stood up and walked over to the window. Maki turned her face away from the lieutenant, still embarrassed over seeing him naked.

"Go ahead and get dressed," Hinawa told her, not looking back at her. "I'll see you in the office."

"Okay," Maki said. She walked over and gave him a hug from behind before slipping her clothes on. Hinawa waited until he heard the door shut behind her before he let out the breath he had been holding.

_I had to refrain myself from looking at her because I knew that if I did, I'd just want her again_, he thought. He gathered up his own clothes and redressed, needing to take a shower and get ready for the day. The thought of Maki's bare back in his bed crossed his mind again, and he made up his mind.

_I want that, every day._


End file.
